Pinnacle opens loan office in Dallas with former Origin Bank executives

Pinnacle Financial Partners has opened a loan production office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The move brings the Atlanta-based bank into a new market with two experienced executives from Origin Bank leading the team.

Warrie Birdwell is named regional president for Texas. Todd Cornelius will serve as executive vice president for the state. Both men spent time at Origin Bank before joining Pinnacle. Birdwell has more than 20 years of industry experience, including 11 years leading growth in North Texas. During that period, he helped increase the bank's local loan and deposit portfolios by more than $1.5 billion each. He also managed the mortgage warehouse business and created a specialty deposit group for title companies, intermediaries, and municipalities.

Before moving to Origin in 2015, Birdwell held leadership positions at Wells Fargo, BBVA Compass, and Bank of America. He graduated from Southern Methodist University, where he studied finance and played football. He also completed the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU. Birdwell currently serves on the board of Vogel and has previously joined the boards of Community Partners of Dallas, the SMU Mustang Club, and the SMU Lettermen’s Association. He also chaired the Regional Advisory Council for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas.

Cornelius brings nearly 30 years of banking and business leadership experience. He most recently worked as executive vice president for Origin Bank’s North Texas region, where he worked alongside Birdwell. His career includes roles at Amarillo National Bank, Cadence Bank, BB&T, and Wells Fargo. He has focused on commercial lending, specialty finance, and business development for middle-market and corporate clients. Cornelius holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the SMU Cox School of Business. He served on the advisory board of First Tee of Dallas for more than 10 years.

Kevin Blair, president and CEO of Pinnacle Financial Partners, said in a release that Dallas is a community where the company feels at home. He noted that the area has an energy and entrepreneurial spirit that aligns with the bank's values. Blair stated that the new leaders understand the local business needs and can provide personal banking relationships.

Pinnacle Financial Partners is headquartered in Midtown Atlanta, with its banking operations based at Nashville Yards. The bank holds $130.7 billion in assets. It has the top market share in deposits in the Nashville metropolitan statistical area and ranks fourth in the Atlanta metro area. Pinnacle operates branches and offices in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland.